Graham Maranda on Police Procedure

One of the most challenging tasks for crime and mystery writers is getting the police procedure
right. This column is all about helping you to find out the information you need to know.

Graham Maranda has years of experience to bring to his regular column for crime and mystery authors, with advice
about police procedure and an insider's view of criminal activity. You'll find that basic police procedure is
similar all over the world. The rules can vary from state to state, so make sure you understand the basic
processes, then check the local procedure for your novel's setting.

Part 2 of the Search Warrants article covers such things as service of the occupier's notice, hours of execution, announcing your presence before entry, the informant, police characters, and false or misleading information...

Writing a story with cops and robbers? Does part of your plot involve questioning, arresting and / or interviewing someone? Let me try to put some clarity to the fundamental matters involved in a person's right to silence.

Before you go creating a telephone intercept scene, be aware that interception is only authorised where the offence being investigated falls within the definition of 'Serious Offence'. So, what types of offences are considered serious at law?

Writers often experience difficulties in finding out the information they need to know about police procedure. Here is some basic information about general characters and scenarios in a police procedural novel.

Like many other people in the community, police officers sometimes have second (and even third) jobs. Is this officially sanctioned? What kinds of jobs are police officers or ex-police officers likely to take up? Graham Maranda gives us some insights into this interesting question...